The present invention relates to a lawn edging tool and, more particularly, to a hand and foot-operated tool which is driven into the ground by the weight of the user standing upon the tool.
Lawn edging or trimming tools of this type have been disclosed in the prior art, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,503,757 issued to B. G. Morgan on Apr. 11, 1950, and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,594,508, issued to E. R. Sitton on Apr. 29, 1952. These prior art tools have guiding and maneuvering handles and foot-receiving surfaces on which a user can stand to drive the tool into the ground. The Morgan patent discloses a two-piece platform with a blade clamped therebetween and a handle pivotally coupled to the platform. In the Morgan device, the handle bridges the user's toe which, in use, may slide forwardly and be jammed under the handle, which might result in injury to the user's instep or ankle, or could result in loss of balance. At the least, such slipping would hinder the proper control of the tool.
Furthermore, the Morgan platform is formed of relatively thin pieces of wood which are highly susceptible to cracking or splitting, particularly along the high-stress areas where the fastening bolts pass through the platform.